Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, tens of millions of people have been working from home, which means they don’t have to commute to offices or other workplaces, and also that they may have changed their exercise and recreation habits.
Cycling has been a major beneficiary of these trends. It’s a great form of exercise, it offers an escape from the home, and it’s a very practical means of transportation. At rush hour bikes move faster than cars on gridlocked streets. Here are America’s worst cities to drive in.
Cycling is also far kinder to the environment than driving, or even using public transportation — which many have been avoiding during the pandemic anyway. These are 30 easy ways to be more environmentally friendly.
24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the worst cities for bike riders. They’re typically mid-sized cities, although many have seen rapid growth in the last couple of decades, and suburban sprawl may be a factor in their rankings. (Our list of the best cities for bike riders includes much larger ones, such as New York and Chicago.) Almost all the worst cities are in the South and West; only one — Chesapeake, Virginia — is on the Eastern Seaboard.
Click here to see the worst cities to ride a bike
To identify the worst cities for bike riders, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the Bike Scores of the 100 largest cities in the United States from apartment search services company Walkscore. We also considered the percentage of commuters who use a bicycle to travel to work, as well as the total population of each of the cities, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
Some states fare worse than others in the ranking. North Carolina is almost in a class of its own, with no less than six cities on the list: Durham, Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte, Fayetteville, and the first-ranked Winston-Salem. The reason certainly isn’t poverty and lack of resources: North Carolina is home to the Research Triangle and its leading universities. If people and politicians there want to make their cities more bike-friendly, the pandemic could present an opportunity.
Source: Photo by Sergio S. via Yelp
25. Bakersfield, California
> Bike score: 43.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 377,917
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Source: Photo by Mark M. via Yelp
24. San Bernardino, California
> Bike score: 43.6
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 216,089
Source: aimintang / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
23. Memphis, Tennessee
> Bike score: 43.6
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 651,932
Source: Photo by Jenny K. via Yelp
22. Henderson, Nevada
> Bike score: 43.5
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 300,116
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Source: benedek / iStock via Getty Images
21. Cincinnati, Ohio
> Bike score: 43.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 301,394
Source: Photo by Ckr Y. via Yelp
20. Louisville-Jefferson, Kentucky
> Bike score: 43.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 617,790
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19. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Bike score: 43.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 643,692
Source: tab1962 / iStock via Getty Images
18. San Diego, California
> Bike score: 43.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.8% — #37 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 1,409,573
Source: AndyKleinPhotography / iStock via Getty Images
17. Jacksonville, Florida
> Bike score: 42.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.5% — #62 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 890,467
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16. El Paso, Texas
> Bike score: 42.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 679,813
15. Des Moines, Iowa
> Bike score: 41.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 215,636
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14. Durham, North Carolina
> Bike score: 41.4
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.6% — #50 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 269,702
Source: Liz W Grogan / iStock via Getty Images
13. Raleigh, North Carolina
> Bike score: 41.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.4% — #66 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 464,485
Source: Photo by Ernie B. via Yelp
12. Chula Vista, California
> Bike score: 41.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 268,920
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Source: Ronald Hood / iStock via Getty Images
11. Fort Worth, Texas
> Bike score: 41.1
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 874,401
Source: Photo by Vicki P. via Yelp
10. Arlington, Texas
> Bike score: 41.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 395,477
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9. Chesapeake, Virginia
> Bike score: 40.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 239,982
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Source: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons
8. Montgomery, Alabama
> Bike score: 38.3
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 199,783
Source: Photo by Recycles via Yelp
7. Greensboro, North Carolina
> Bike score: 35.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 291,303
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Source: JSantiagoPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
6. Kansas City, Missouri
> Bike score: 35.0
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 486,404
Source: liberte2 / Flickr
5. Charlotte, North Carolina
> Bike score: 33.9
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.1% — #102 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 857,425
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Source: Courtesy of Hawley's Bicycle World
4. Fayetteville, North Carolina
> Bike score: 33.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 210,432
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Source: Photo by Joe W. via Yelp
3. Birmingham, Alabama
> Bike score: 30.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.3% — #77 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 212,297
Source: Photo by Bike the Greenway via Yelp
2. Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee
> Bike score: 29.7
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 663,750
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1. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
> Bike score: 29.2
> Commuters who travel to work by bike: 0.2% — #85 out of 100 largest cities
> Population: 244,115
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